Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
Later, everyone gathered in the dining room to cut the cake. Just like all my birthdays growing up, Mom had demanded to make his cake. She’d truly outdone herself with a massive replica of the White Rabbit’s pocket watch, big enough for everybody at the party to have a slice. She’d even iced the links of the watch chain onto cupcakes that sprawled away. Of course, we had a smaller smash cake just for Elio that was shaped like a rose from the Queen of Heart’s garden.
I stroked a finger over Elio’s face where he cuddled in Gio’s arms. He’d gone down for a short nap so we could be totally sure he’d be awake for cake-cutting, and he was still waking up. His hair was mussed on one side, and I decided against stroking it back into place. I wanted to remember this day how it actually was.
Gio smiled at me over the top of his head. “One year down.”
“The rest of our lives to go,” I replied.
Inside the room, everyone began holding the first note of “Happy Birthday,” and we carried him in.
Someone had dimmed the lights so the fire on the single candle shone brightly, but what caught my eye was the new decoration. While we were in the hall, somebody had put up strings and strings of Elio’s baby pictures, from the first day in the delivery room to yesterday when he saw a bubble for the first time. Tears filled my eyes, and I was briefly thankful Gio had asked to hold Elio for this part of the day.
I looked out over the table for a culprit and found the three siblings I grew up with all winking and shooting me thumbs-ups. I blew them a kiss and helped Gio get our son settled in his high chair.
Elio stared at the candle as the song came to an end, totally transfixed by the fire. He swayed back and forth with it.
I leaned down. “You gotta blow the candle out.” I pursed my lips to show him.
Gio leaned down on his other side and did the same.
“Mama, Papa, kandelow!”
I blew a little air, and the flame flickered. He pursed his lips and spit a little as Gio and I blew out his candle.
A camera flashed just as Elio leaned forward and smashed his tiny fist right into the top of the cake.
Everybody aww’d, and the other kids started clamoring to help him out with his destruction. Elio brought his fist to his mouth and gnawed on it, then burst into delighted laughter and reached out to smear more all over his face.
“Is that yummy?” I asked.
He grinned at me, his tiny teeth covered in red frosting. “Yummy!”
By the time we got all the cake handed out and cleaned up the worst of the messes, the party was beginning to wind down. Gio and I had agreed that opening gifts after seemed smarter, and Elio was riding a sugar high that I knew would crash soon with a whole lot of screaming. A few of the other parents started saying their goodbyes and making plans to see us at the park soon.
Elio perched in his high chair while Dahlia and Elena fussed over him, trying to get the best picture of his cake-covered face.
I allowed myself to sit for the first time since maybe last night. Mom came up to me, having left Ben with James and Becca.
She rubbed my shoulders, and I groaned a little.
“It was a wonderful party, honey,” she said. “But maybe next year you let somebody else help you plan?”
I chuckled ruefully. “Are you offering?”
She shrugged. “I was serious about moving to Italy someday.”
I twisted to face her. “Really? No more stalling? I’d love Elio to have grandparents in his life.”
She smiled. “And you’d love to see your dear old mom?”
“Of course, I’d love that,” I replied. “You were so busy when I was younger, and now I’m halfway across the world. I’d like nothing more than to have you down the street so we can go out for coffee whenever I feel like it.”
She sat down next to me. “There’s a lot of things I didn’t get to tell you when you were younger. I think I might like to let you get to know who I was back then.”
“That sounds incredible.” I took her hand. “I’m sure Gio can convince the neighbors to sell their house.”
She laughed, and I looked across the room to my husband. He was in conversation with one of the “parents” I knew to be one of his men in casual clothes. His brow furrowed, and he looked up to meet my gaze. He gestured for me to come over.
“I’ll be right back,” I said absently, fear settling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like the look on Gio’s face, didn’t like the whispering.
He took my hand. “Marco just spoke to the gate guard. There’s someone outside.”
That fear roiled, doubling in intensity. Who could want to crash my son’s birthday? What enemy had I forgotten?
I had no idea who it might be, and I was afraid to find out.
*Olivia*
“I—who?” I said. My mind spun, racing with all the implications of Gio’s statement. Somebody was at the gate wanting to see me. “Who is it?”
Gio and his lieutenant exchanged glances before my husband said, “Olivia, he claims to be your father.”
My breath caught in my throat as I took a few uneven steps backward. “What?” Some man was here, claiming to be my father? I hadn’t seen him since I was a baby. I had no memories of him, no idea what he even looked like because Mom cut him out of all her pictures.
Who could know I wouldn’t know him?
Could it actually be him?
I shook my head. That wasn’t possible.
Gio shrugged. “I don’t know, carina, but he’s demanding to see you. Do you want to check, or would you rather just send him away?”
I turned and gestured for my mother to come over. She looked confused, but she came.
Dahlia met my gaze and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head. I’d tell her later.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked.
“Some guy is here claiming to be my dad,” I blurted. The familial name felt strange in my mouth. I’d never called anyone dad before, and even Elio called Gio Papa.
She blanched. “What? Here? Now?”
I shook my head. “No? I mean, I don’t know. I mean—” I looked helplessly at Gio.
He put a warm, steady hand on my shoulder. “A man at the front gate is claiming to be Olivia’s father. I believe she wants you to look at him to confirm his story.”
“Okay.” Mom bit her lip. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, though.”
I laughed, half hysterical. One of the other parents looked up, and I smiled at them in a way I hoped was comforting. No one needed to know I was about to lose my mind.
“We have video surveillance at the gate,” Gio said, taking my mother by the arm. “If you’ll just come with me….”
I knew he was leading her up to his office. My job was to stay calm enough to get all the strangers out of our house before this turned into a shitshow somehow. I took a deep breath, but it didn’t ease the frisson of nerves.
Maybe I could use that.
